Proxima Station by Mike Mollman
Blurb:
Good morning Anthony!
Anthony is preparing for his eventual Ph.D. defense in anthropology. In less than a week, he’ll orbiting the planet Proxima Centauri b with five spacefaring races, known only to the US Space Command. The military will task him with profiling the aliens for their own dubious motives. His every action will be scrutinized by friends and foes alike.
Anthony is not ready for this.
Review:
Book One of Mike Mollman’s new “Proxima Station Saga” is a fresh snack that’s scrumptious to devour. Like a well salted bag of chips, “betcha can’t eat just one.” Except poor us, there is to date, only this one installment currently available. So my chief complaint is Book Two isn’t out yet.
However, we need to back up a bit. What is this Book One all about? It’s a bite-sized, humorous Sci-Fi novella; it’s absurdist, evoking the lineage of “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.”
Our protagonist, Anthony, abruptly finds himself whisked away from his University with barely a moment’s notice. He’s shy and funny, but grows in confidence throughout. He’s also aware of his strengths and weaknesses and isn’t afraid to admit how naive and inexperienced he is, especially as an anthropologist about to meet aliens, among many military and technical personas. I wonder if he’d call it imposter syndrome, which feels ubiquitous these days as it seems nearly everyone I know has had to find their own way through those feelings in some way.
We’re not all about to meet intergalactic aliens, but tapping into that emotion was effective for pulling me in, so through it all I found Anthony relatable and easy to root for.
Whatever shyness he felt, he quickly got over it. Over the course of a few score pages, he went from that meek beginning, to ending up absolutely certain he should break intergalactic rules to help a complete stranger, fully knowing he would brazenly upset the top brass in the process. Meteoric rise, champ. It was foreshadowed, but in the future I’m looking forward to seeing more absurd consequences to match the absurd decisions.
It very staunchly does not take itself seriously, but blink and you may miss that Mike Mollman is sharp, witty, and really knows how to pace a well-stitched story.
In terms of pacing, for how quick a read this was, we were made to wait quite a while before landing on the eponymous Proxima Station. The tension of meeting the aliens grew to be palpable as their reveals built over the course of much of the story. Fortunately for us, when we finally had them, they did not disappoint. I found all five species inventive and fitting the tone and atmosphere. For each one, we went into fairly descriptive detail, effectively fleshing out where they hang their flesh out. But not in a gross way, I promise.
If I had another critique, it would be around the alien illustrations provided in this edition. While they were very inventive and helped make visible the great descriptions in our minds, they veered often into the uncanny valley. I’m sorry Mike, but for me they didn’t quite land this time.
Aside from that minor detail, all their introductions showed a good balance of exposition and progression, with thoughtful craft for the tight narrative space that necessitated moving quickly. The five individual representatives we met all had unique identifiers and personalities which helped create a shorthand for understanding the different species quickly. Are we stereotyping them in this way? Only Mike can say.
I did especially love the Bwetnibs who rolled around with help from their curved tusks. A close second would be the Erati and their penchant for speaking in couplets. Both features were very distinct, memorable, and most importantly, fun.
The introductions were brief and effective in making me want to learn more about each of the characters and their species as a whole. It seems we’re still just scratching the surface.
Speaking of scratching the surface, the Proxima Station itself was given the barest set dressing. I think such light fidelity completely worked here. In just a few lines, we got a sense for its size, structure, and how gravity was (or was not) handled throughout. I like that the reader was trusted to scant little else and could imagine enough to fill in the gaps. Yet there seems to be so much more that I hope we get to dig into in future installments.
Beyond a fun and funny space ride, what is “Proxima Station” saying, if anything? Most humans of this non-world are cocky, and judge books by the cover entirely too quickly. But between the text, I found a more timeless lesson: curiosity and joy can be universal. Zooming out past the page, this lesson reminds me that Sci-Fi can still be light and fun. Maybe it is that simple.
And we also don’t need long books for a good time. A short hit like this is digestible and can be read in a single sitting, or spread out over a few short ones. I don’t know how many more are planned, but this feels like a series that could grow some legs. It’s early, and we’ll need to spend more time with the aliens, but I can’t wait to find out what other kinds of absurd chaos we can come across.
I received this review copy of “Proxima Station” from Mike Mollman and wasn’t sure what to expect. All I gathered was that it was a tidy package, and a humorous Sci-Fi. It held true to its bargain and offered even more. I’m happy I gave it a shot.
So, if you don’t take things too seriously, don’t mind open endings, and find yourself with a free afternoon, I’d say follow your heart if it tells you to pick this up. It appears Book Two is on its way, and I have faith the series will continue to have the juice.
Guest Reviewer Bio:
Gradyish lives in Portland with his wife and two dogs. When not reading SFF and LitFic, he enjoys writing and sharing book reviews, and quietly working on concept chapters and story outlines for nascent fantasy novels he’s been cultivating. Those purposefully have not yet seen the light of day. When not doing any of that or working 9-5, he’s probably playing futsal for his team, Baja Blast FC, where you can find him most weekend evenings.
